On December 14, the 1st National Speaking Competition on Area Studies was held at Sun Yat-Sen University. Under the guidance of instructor Han Jiasheng, Wang Cui, a junior majoring in Arabic at JISU, won third prize.

Wang Cui delivering her speech

This competition was organized by the School of International Studies and Institution of Free Trade Zone of the One Belt and One Road. With a goal to provide further learning opportunities to university students and stimulating students’ interests to join the causes of “One Belt and One Road” and creating “a Community of Shared Future for Mankind”, this competition succeeded in attracting students form universities nationwide. After the preliminary round, ninety students were selected for the on-site competition. These students came from well-known universities including Peking University, Zhejiang University, Fudan University, Sun Yat-Sen University, Beijing Foreign Studies University, Shanghai International Studies University among others.

Wang Cui (eighth from the left in the front), judges and other contestants

The competition consisted of a keynote speech and an impromptu speech on Dreams in “One Belt and One Road” and A Community of Shared Future for Mankind as respective themes. Wang Cui told the story of her interaction with Li Weinan, a junior student from Helwan University. Told from the perspective of an Egyptian students herself, her speech reflected the common desires of both Chinese and Egyptians for mutual development and a happy life under the “One Belt and One Road” initiative.

Wang Cui said, “Throughout this competition, I learned much more about ‘One Belt and One Road’. As foreign language learners, we should become a bridge connecting China and the rest of the world by committing ourselves to helping foreigners to understand China better and enhancing friendly exchanges.”